(SACRAMENTO) –Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D – Sacramento) today released the following statement in response to two Sacramento Police Department officers that were fired following an investigation of their involvement in the shooting death of an African American Sacramento resident, Joseph Mann.
“The shooting death of Joseph Mann by Sacramento Police Department officers was unnecessary and preventable,” said Assemblymember Kevin McCarty. “The City’s firing of these two officers along with the financial settlement made with Mr. Mann’s family stand in stark contrast to the District Attorney’s conclusion that the officers’ actions were “justified” and further degrades the public’s confidence in law enforcement.”“We need to be doing more to build public confidence in our law enforcement and make sure that any officer engaging in excessive force is held accountable for their actions. No person is above the law.”
“In order to build public confidence in our law enforcement, we need independent oversight and independent authority to conduct investigations of officer involved shootings by the California Attorney General’s Office. I will introduce legislation in 2018 to expand the Attorney General’s oversight and investigative authority of officer involved shootings and will work closely with law enforcement and the public to build needed trust and confidence in California’s administration of justice.”
Mann, who had suffered from mental health issues for years, was shot fourteen times by Sacramento Police Department officers during a July 2016 pursuit in North Sacramento. In January of 2017, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s office closed an investigation into the two officers’ actions, saying that the use of force was “justified”. Later in the year, Mann’s family settled a lawsuit with the City of Sacramento for $719,000.
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Kevin McCarty represents California’s 7th Assembly District, which include the cities of Sacramento, West Sacramento and unincorporated Sacramento County. McCarty serves as Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance.